Volvo built its brand on the back of boxy wagons, but there’s no guarantee it’ll stick with the body style into the future.
Speaking with Auto Express at the launch of the EX30 small SUV, global Volvo boss Jim Rowan confirmed there’s plenty of interest from traditional customers… but that’s no guarantee the brand will build one.
“Can we do a really nicely designed and intelligent wagon? Yes, of course can can. The point really is whether we should do it – is there enough margin there, is there enough demand for that car?,” he said to Auto Express.
EX30 
EX90
“Are people really going to say, ‘Okay, I’d rather have a nicely designed wagon than choose a sedan [saloon] or an SUV’? Do we think the market is going to move back into that area? Because demand for estate cars and saloons has gone down in Europe.
“It’s a decision that we need to make, and we need to make it with the market intelligence that we have. We’re going to launch a new electric car every year for the next five years. Will an electric wagon be one of them? Watch this space.”
Currently, the Volvo range in Australia only features one wagon – the V60 Cross Country, with the regular V60 and the V90 both removed from the range in recent years in the face of limited demand.
Electric wagons are a rare breed, although we’re expecting them to proliferate in the coming years.
Volkswagen will build a Shooting Brake version of its upcoming ID. 7, and we’re expecting an Avant version of Audi’s upcoming electric cars.
BMW is also developing an electric i5 Touring as well. Globally though, the body style is on the nose as buyers flock to more fashionable SUVs.
